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Drawn identically. Whether the joined notes share a pitch is the whole distinction.
Look at the two notes the curve joins. Same pitch means it is a tie: they become one sound of combined length and the second is not played again. Different pitches mean it is a slur: play them smoothly as one gesture, but play them all. The curve is identical in both cases, so the pitches are the only evidence.
The same curve; only whether the joined notes share a pitch distinguishes them.
| Slur | Tie | |
|---|---|---|
| Notes joined | Different pitches | The same pitch |
| How many sounds | One per note | One in total |
| Instruction | Play smoothly, connected | Hold through; do not re-articulate |
| Can cross a bar line? | Yes | Yes — the only way to write a note longer than a bar |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Tie — The same curve; only whether the joined notes share a pitch distinguishes them. | Commonly confused with Slur — Identical drawings; the pitches distinguish them. |
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a mark instructs a performer to do and for uncontested history, never for a claim that any body defines staff notation.
Both are drawn as one continuous decorative stroke with a closed loop and a tail that crosses back over itself, which is why a description of the shape alone reaches both. The clef is far taller, spans a stave, and its spiral encircles one specific line — that encircled line is the note G, and it is the only reason the shape is drawn where it is.
A small note with a plain stem is an appoggiatura and takes its time from the note it leans on — conventionally about half of it, so the main note is genuinely shortened. A small note with a diagonal stroke through the stem is an acciaccatura and is played as fast as possible, taking almost nothing. The stroke is the only difference on the page, and it is easily lost in a poor reproduction, which is why an ambiguous grace note is worth checking against another edition rather than guessing.
Check where the dot sits. A dot immediately to the right of the notehead adds half the note's value again — a dotted half note lasts three beats. A dot directly above or below the head means staccato: play it short and detached. One dot, two opposite instructions, and only position distinguishes them.
They occupy the same place and are read the same way. A C means four-four; two stacked numerals state any metre explicitly. The C is not an abbreviation of the word 'common' — it descends from a broken circle used in medieval notation to mean imperfect time, and a full circle meant threefold time.